04/06/2026
Nigeria's ability to address its security challenges and safeguard its national interests will depend not only on the strength of its armed forces, but also on the strength of its technological and industrial capabilities.
This was the central message I shared at the Omniverse Africa 3.0 Summit in Lagos, where I emphasised that national security in the 21st century, is equally determined by the ingenuity of our innovators, the strength of our digital infrastructure, the sophistication of our industrial base, and our ability to create the technologies that shape the future.
The future demands that we move beyond being consumers of defence technology and become producers of it. Security today requires more than conventional military hardware. It requires indigenous capability in unmanned systems and robotics, surveillance technologies, cybersecurity, secure communications, artificial intelligence governance, data-driven decision-making, advanced manufacturing, and the broader ecosystem that sustains technological sovereignty.
This reality is shaping our thinking at the Ministry of Defence. We are restructuring our doctrine, acquisition processes, and training to align with the demands of a rapidly evolving security environment. Our objective is to secure the nation today and build the capabilities that will secure it tomorrow.
This vision is fully aligned with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda for industrialisation and national development. Through ongoing reforms at DICON, we are working to create an ecosystem where defence investments catalyse economic growth, stimulate high-technology employment, strengthen university research, and unlock new commercial opportunities.
We also launched the Defence Futures Lab Pathway as a platform for collaboration, capability development, and strategic foresight. It is an opportunity for innovators, startups, researchers, industry leaders, and the defence community to think ahead, organise better, and contribute to building a stronger national capability.
The nations that will lead in the decades ahead are those that invest not only in defending their sovereignty, but also in creating the technologies that sustain it.
Nigeria must be among them.
June 4, 2026.